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The Alternative Solution: Replacing CH1116 IC with SH1106 IC

December 21,2023

Description

Since CH1116 IC has MOQ restrictions, we develop a new series of products using SH1106. When developing products, we try to keep the original module design as much as possible. It makes modules of CH1116 and SH1106 compatible with each other.

The following will explain the differences between the two series from the hardware and software perspective.

Table1. Existing vs. New IC Model Numbers

Related Module Series
Past model (CH1116)	New model (SH1106)
WEO012864AE	WEO012864AH
WEO012864AJ	WEO012864AL
WEO012864AK	WEO012864AM

1. Hardware

The pin functions of both the CH1116 IC and SH1106 IC are the same. The recommended circuit diagrams for both ICs are shown in
Figure 1.

Figure 1. CH1116 & SH1106 Application recommendations

Please pay attention to the resistance value of pin IREF, as it directly influences brightness and current. When both ICs use the same VPP, SH1106 requires a larger resistance value. The formula for the resistance is provided below.

CH1116：

CH1116

SH1106：

SH1106

2. Software

Most of the commands for CH1116 and SH1106 are compatible, but there are still some differences. For example, each IC has exclusive functions, and only the respective IC can use these commands. Additionally, while some commands serve the same function, their parameters are incompatible, as indicated in Table 2.

Table 2. Differences in Commands between CH1116 and SH1106

Item	CH1116	SH1106
Set Breathing Light 23H	Set Breathing Light ON/OFF, Brightness Adjust and Time Interval.	N/A
Additional Horizontal Scroll Setup Mode Set 24H	Set up the horizontal scroll parameters. It determined the scrolling start column position and end column position.	N/A
Continuous Horizontal Scroll Setup 26H / 27H	Set up the horizontal scroll parameters. It determined the direction of horizontal scroll, scrolling start page, time interval and end page.	N/A
Set Scroll Mode 2CH / 2DH	Control continuous or single screen scroll.	N/A
Set Deactivate /Activate Horizontal Scroll 2EH~2FH	Stop or start motion of horizontal scrolling.	N/A
Set Pump voltage value 30H~33H	Specifies output voltage (VPP) of the internal charger pump. 30H: 10V；31H: 7.4V；32H: 8V；33H: 9V	Specifies output voltage (VPP) of the internal charger pump. 30H: 6.4V；31H: 7.4V；32H: 8V；33H: 9V
IREF Resistor Set 82H	IREF can be controlled by external resister or internal resister. Note: When internal resistor is selected, external resistor should be open. External and internal resistances are connected in parallel.	N/A
Set Display Clock Divide Ratio/Oscillator Frequency D5H	Dicide Ratio：8、16、3、4 Oscillator frequency：-17.1% ~ 25.1%	Dicide Ratio：1~16 Oscillator frequency：-25% ~ 50%
Set Adaptive Power Save D6H / D7H	D6H: Normal D7H: Adaptive Power Save(POR)	N/A
Set Pre-charge Period D9H	Pre-charge：0 DCLKs ~ 45 DCLKs Dis-charge：3 DCLKs ~ 45 DCLKs	Pre-charge：1 DCLKs ~ 15 DCLKs Dis-charge：1 DCLKs ~ 15 DCLKs
Set row non-overlap/SEG Hiz Period DCH	This command is used to set the duration of the row non-overlap /SEG Hiz Period period.	N/A

3. Replacement

Since the pin definitions of the new models and the existing models are the same, the connector can be shared. However, to achieve the same display effect, adjustments are needed in both hardware and software.

In terms of hardware, the only difference between CH1116 and SH1106 is the IREF resistance. It must be set according to the IC; otherwise, there is a risk of burning out the IC.

In terms of software, there are two points to note:
1. CH1116 can choose to use an external or internal resistor (82h), but SH1106 does not have this function.
2. For both CH1116 and SH1106, the command (D5h) used to control the display frequency is the same, but the parameter settings are different.

4. Conclusion

We can achieve the same display image and brightness by adjusting the initial code and the resistance value of pin IREF. Depending on the situation, we can make slight software adjustments without changing the hardware to ensure that the two ICs achieve the same display effect. Winstar will continue to provide high-quality products and competitive solutions.

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